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When TES (the Times Educational Supplement) approached me about an article about how to educate students about the dangers of gambling, I felt compelled to lend a hand and share my lived-experience in and among the expert opinion and analysis. Stopping gambling-related harm is what it's all about, I wouldn't wish for any youngster to go through the same.
Unfortunately, the article is behind a paywall and so to read the full article you will need to subscribe (click here). That said, I've shared my involvement below:- "I cry myself to sleep sometimes," he says. "I look back, and I'm ashamed and I'm guilty. I've ruined many, many relationships. I should be in prison, to be honest."
"I didn't go to further education. I got kicked out of home, then for 15 years, I was gambling like it was a full-time job. I'm 33 now and I haven't been able to accomplish any of the things I would have hoped at the age of 15, 16, 17. Everything came second to gambling and I wouldn't want any young person to be in the same position."
On the possible introduction of a monthly soft-cap:
"We hear horror stories where kids are spinning roulette wheels at hundreds upon hundreds of pounds a go, and it's linked to their father's or mother's account," he says. "It's really, really scary just how simple that is. I was speaking to someone the other day who signed on and deposited £6,000 very quickly without any verification at all," says Pitcher. "We don't know how old the person is, we don't know how much money they've got - it's ridiculous. The proposed affordability checks in the gambling review will help stem that."